Baby boom in Kuno National Park as South African cheetah gives birth to 5 cubs – 13 in total this year

High Five, Kuno!

Female cheetah Gamini, age about 5 years, brought from Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa, has given birth to 5 cubs today.

This takes the tally of the Indian born cubs to 13. This is the fourth cheetah litter on Indian soil and the first litter of… pic.twitter.com/2II0QIc7LY

— Bhupender Yadav (मोदी का परिवार) (@byadavbjp) March 10, 2024

Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav announced the birth of the litter in a post on X. “This is the fourth cheetah litter on Indian soil and the first litter of cheetahs brought from South Africa. Congratulations to all, especially the team of forest officers, vets, and field staff who have ensured a stress-free environment for cheetahs, which has led to successful mating and birth of the cubs,” he said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Aseem Shrivastava said the birth shows that the cheetahs are adapting to Indian conditions.

“Gamini had a mating encounter with the cheetah Pavak around three months ago. The cheetahs would have been unable to breed if they were in a stressful condition. This shows that they are adapting to Indian conditions despite the fact that they tend to be sensitive,” he said.

The 13 cubs in Kuno include the five given birth to by Gamini on Sunday, four born to the Namibian cheetah named Jwala and three to the one named Aasha – both in January.

Shrivastava said the litter born to Aasha were spotted walking with their mother – a positive sign. “The cheetah cubs of the second litter have not yet been spotted walking. But all the cubs are alive, which is a very good sign,” he said.

Jwala had given birth to four cubs in March last year too. While three died due to extreme heat, the surviving one was abandoned by its mother after being taken for medical treatment. Shrivastava said that cub would soon be rewilded. “We are on an expert consultation stage in this. The orphan cheetah will have to be rewilded after it completes one year. The orphan cub is healthy,” he said.

Wildlife officials are currently focussed on ensuring that the cheetah mothers and cubs housed within larger enclosures have a predator-free environment in order to supplement their population.